Sadducees Theology

Sadducees Theology: Spirits, Angels, Resurrection

By Merritt Robinson

At this present moment, our Young Adult group is going through the book of Acts. We recently covered Acts 23 and there is a particular portion within the chapter, Acts 23:8, which states that Sadducees believe not in the resurrection, angels, or spirits. Someone who attends our study recently asked me “if the Sadducees didn’t believe in angels and spirits wouldn’t they have major issues with the Old Testament scriptures”. I hope to provide an answer to this question by providing some insight to Sadducees theology and additionally providing a biblical perspective from the totality of the scriptures concerning the resurrection, angels, and spirits.

Let me first provide some theological background in regards to the previously mentioned issues based upon scripture. The first mention of angels is made in Genesis 16:7. Most scholars and theologians believe this mention of “the angel of the Lord” in Genesis 16:7 refers to the second person of the trinity, Jesus Christ. Additionally, there are many other references to angel and angels in the Old and New Testament scriptures. The references to ‘spirit(s)’ are vast in the biblical text. As Drs. Guy P. Duffield and Nathaniel M. Van Cleave have insinuated, there is much confusion with the word spirit within the biblical scriptures. In their book, Foundations of Pentecostal Theology, they mention that “unless the context shows that an independent spirit-being is meant, it seems best to take most phrases such as a haughty spirit, a hasty spirit, a spirit of slumber, a spirit of jealousy, etc., to be sins of the disposition of lusts of the flesh, and not demons”. (Duffield, Van Cleave, p 496) Now this does not mean there are no such things as spirits, angels, demons or etc. Jesus mentioned to the woman at the well, John 4:24 that God was spirit and He must be worshiped in spirit and truth. Thus, Jesus confirmed the fact of spirits and the spiritual realm.

Now let us proceed to the theology of the Sadducees. Sadducees were extremely conservative and they only accorded authority to the Torah. They rejected notions and beliefs in the resurrection, rewards and punishments after death, demonology, angelology, and apocalyptic speculations. (Duffield, Van Cleave, p 461) In essence, they felt that the Torah did not adequately validate angels or spirits. Additionally, there was also the debate concerning the resurrection and the after life. The Sadducees believed there were Old Testament books that referred to the resurrection (Ezekiel 37, I Samuel 2:6, Job 19:26, Isaiah 26:19, and Daniel 12) but these references only pointed to the potentiality of the resurrection and not the actual proof or fulfillment of both the resurrection of the righteous and wicked. (John Bright, A History of Israel, p 451) Additionally, other 2nd century writers either knew nothing of such a belief or explicitly denied it. Thus even at the end of the Old Testament period, belief in a future life was by no means unanimous. (Bright, p 451)

The Pharisees brought an alternative viewpoint to the discussion, especially when one analyzed the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, a Seleucid ruler, who had persecuted the Jews and desecrated their temple. In the eyes of the Pharisees, there had to be a way for vindication and justice to be delivered beyond the grave. (Bright, p 451) Thus, this is the Pharisees reasoning for the resurrection to everlasting life or shame.

Did the Sadducees have an issue with the Old Testament scriptures? The question could be answered in the negative and affirmative. The Sadducees would state they were diligent followers of the Torah but the bible demonstrates their deficiencies in following the clear truth of God’s word in regards to angelology and spirits. Additionally, their belief or lack thereof in the resurrection is reasonable based upon the fact that none had been resurrected before Lazarus or Jesus. However, once Jesus demonstrated His power to resurrect others and Himself, they should have humbled and submitted themselves to the truth of the resurrection.

Now here is the key, what does the totality of scripture state about the resurrection, angels, and spirits? First, angels appear in the scriptures from the first book of the bible, Genesis, to the last book of the bible, Revelation. As stated up above, the angel of the Lord is mentioned in Genesis 16:7. Yes, the angel of the Lord within this verse does refer to Jesus Christ but nevertheless it does not negate the fact of the spiritual realm. Two angels came to Sodom and Gomorrah and delivered Lot and his family before the judgment of the Lord. In Daniel, Michael the archangel of the Lord provided a message from the Lord as a response to a prayer from Daniel. In Acts 12, Peter was rescued from jail by an angel. I could continue but there is plenty of evidence for angels within the bible. Second, there is an abundance of evidence for spirits and the spiritual realm. In the book of Leviticus (Lev 19:31, 20:6), God warns the nation of Israel to avoid spiritists or those who call up spirits from the dead. Throughout the gospels, Jesus cast out evil and wicked spirits such as the man who had a legion of demons physically within him (Mark 5:1-13). Therefore, there is substantial evidence to support spirits and demons. Finally, the fact of the resurrection was the pivotal point within the debate between Sadducee and Pharisee. There were scriptures within the text of the bible that referred to the resurrection but the Sadducees would state there was no actual or physical proof of the resurrection, just a philosophical argument for the belief in the resurrection. Jesus completely eradicated this ideology with his resurrection of Lazarus and finally with His own resurrection after being buried in the tomb for three days and nights. This is why the Sadducees were so upset about Jesus and this new sect called Christianity. The resurrection completely and totally destroyed their religious ideals and thoughts and they had to either reject their philosophy and fall to their knees before the Cross of Christ or dwell within their ignorance, blindly rejecting the truth of the resurrection. They chose the later unfortunately.

The doctrine of angels, demons and etc. is important but more important in my estimation is the belief in the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. Paul states in I Corinthians 15:4 “and that he was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures”. I hope you are not like the Sadducees, rejecting the truth of God’s word. Instead search out the scriptures and be a Berean, determining if those things which are stated in the bible are the truth of God’s word.

Happy Thanksgiving

This morning I woke up with the thought that today is Thanksgiving. A day of family get togethers, food and all kinds of athletic events on the television. By the way, do you think the 0-11 Detroit Lions will win today? Mmmmm. As someone who loves all those things previously mentioned, I can't help but think that we owe a little more to the creator of the universe besides thanking Him for the multitude of meals we will eat today.

Last weekend, I went to First AME church to complete a project for Fuller Seminary. This was my first time at the historic church located in the heart of Los Angeles. One of the things I noticed immediately upon entering the church was the fact that these people came out to an 8am service to celebrate the Lord. It was evident with the congregants, the ministerial staff, and the Sr. pastor. I have to admit this is one of the things I like about "black" churches. Hopefully you will not be offended by the statement but it is true. I love the fact that they come together to celebrate what the Lord has done, is doing, and what He will continue to do within the lives of those who are called according to His purposes and who love Him. I love the fact that these people came to celebrate not by themselves in an individualistic manner but they came to celebrate together in harmony and unity. When you are in that type of atmosphere, you cannot help but to celebrate with one another but more importantly celebrate the Lord Jesus Christ.

I hope today, that we all can take this same attitude out with us as we meet with family and friends. May we celebrate with our family and truly be thankful to the Lord. May we truly lift up praise, besides the time of prayer for our meal, and rejoice in the Lord (Psalm 118:24). In addition, may we truly enjoy our families today. Let's rid ourselves of the family drama and animosity and enjoy the time that we have with our families. May it truly be a time when we encourage, exhort, and edify one another in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Think about these things and may you praise the God of heaven and earth!

Peace and Blessings,
MR

Return from Kenya

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us-Ephesians 3:20

Well we made it back from Kenya, yesterday (9/22) afternoon at about 3 pm. It was good to land back on U.S. soil and see my family but it was also a little sad leaving Kenya. The Lord did so many things and we were blessed to be apart of His work so it was sad to leave a place where we saw the hand of the Lord.

I can't wait to go back. We are already praying about where the Lord would send us next year. We have been extended offers to return to Kenya but also to go to Zanzibar which is off the coast of Tanzania and to the country of Sudan. What a wonderful opportunity! So we will pray and see where the Lord leads. As my pastor always says, where God guides, God provides. We pray that we will listen to the Spirit of the Lord and be open to His leading.

I've got to give props to my partners in ministry, Miguel, Anthony, Mikey and Luis. They made this a fun trip. I really enjoyed their youthful exuberance, singing, jokes, and laughter. It was fun to go with a group of guys who really want to serve God but also want to enjoy life. So thanks guys.

For those who supported our trip and prayed for us, we thank you (Asante-Thank you in Swahili).

Finally, Lord, thank you for opening this door. We could not have done it without you. You demonstrated how great you are each and every day of this trip. May we continue to seek your face and submit ourselves to your will in order for your kingdom to be accomplished on this earth, Amen.

Merritt

Kenya Update-Sept 17

Jambo (means hello in Swahili)

Hope all is well back in the states. We are into our second week here in Kenya. The first week was extremely busy. We spent much time ministering at a bible institute for pastors and working with a local church. It was extremely busy but the Lord did an incredible work within the people and us as well. Last Saturday we went to Kibera which is a major slum area here in Nairobi. Often times when we in the states look at the "ghetto" we think of depressed conditions, crime and etc. Well Kibera is worse than any ghetto I've been to in the states. It might not have similar criminal activity but it is by far the most poor and depressed place I have ever been. The average household income per day is approximately $2. How can people live on $2 per day? I'm not sure. In addition, there housing conditions are terrible. The people live in tin shacks basically and they are all on top of each other. There is literally no room to move within this area. But we were able to see a church that is located in the middle of this slum area. It was literally a sanctuary away from the slums. Next to the church was a medical facility that is associated with the church. The unfortunate thing is that many people do not go to this free facility because it just does not have all the things needed to support the needs of the residents. It needs pre-natural equipment, scales, forceps and etc but they just don't have the money. Please pray for the residents in Kibera, the church which is called All Nations Gospel Church and for the medical facility that God would do an incredible work to rid the poverty in this area.

While touring the area, we also had the great pleasure of praying for some of the residents and church members. This was cool because you could see the people really appreciated our prayers and concern. Throughout the slums you see so many kids who are taking care of kids. It was sad. As we went through the streets the kids would speak out and say "how are you, how are you". This is what they have been taught to say when they see a "mazungo" (not sure of the spelling) but it means a white person. I am not a mazungo, I am considered a black man. But again, please pray for the people here. They need so much but the most important thing they need is the truth of the gospel and good biblical teaching. In addition, pray for us as we come to our last four days of our trip. God is not done and we have come to realize that we are still here on a mission, literally, for God. We will be ministering at Living Water Christian Fellowship, a Calvary Chapel affiliate, in the evenings this week. Sunday, I will share at the main service at Living Water. Pray that the Lord empowers us to continue in His service.

Blessings and Asante (Thank you) Lord,
Merritt

Abroad from Kenya

Greetings from Kenya,

We arrived on Monday, September 8th at approximately 9pm in Kenya. We all departed the plane thinking we have finally made it to Kenya. It is truly a blessing to be here. Pastor Robbie Gordon, who is a Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa missionary, picked us up from the airport. Robbie is a cool guy, totally down to earth and he reminds me of the guys back home. Living Water Christian Fellowship, the church that Robbie pastors, has provided lodging for us. It is more than sufficient. We have two bedrooms and a bathroom. There is a gentleman from the church, Mengestu, who is an incredible help. He is such a gracious and loving person. We have bonded with him.

We started teaching through the book of Romans at the Manna bible institute. They have approximately 20 students during this session and all of them are completely sold out and hungry for the Lord. They are also some of the sweetest people. I feel like we have been sent here to share and impart spiritual gifts with one another as it is stated in Romans 1:11-13.

It is amazing that in such a short amount of time, we have bonded with the people and they are truly our brothers and sisters in the Lord, despite being half way around the country.

Kenya is obviously different than the states. We are truly blessed in the states. Even the poor in the states have more than the majority of the people here. People in Kenya walk everywhere. Transportation is expensive here so for a person to have a car they usually are fairly wealthy.

What else have we been doing? During the night, we have been going to Pastor George Mugaro's church and teaching through the book of I Thessalonians. George is also a blessing. He is such a sweet man and very kind. We have become like brothers in this short time frame. I believe this new found relationship will continue to grow into one the provides blessings for many.

Continue to pray for the people of Kenya. They suffer from poverty, lack of resources, and poor theological doctrine (faith movement, health/wealth doctrine) just to name a few issues. But those who are truly following the Lord are strong in the faith and they are seeking to grow in God's grace and knowledge. I LOVE IT!!!

Well let me finish by asking you to continue praying for us. Pray for us to stay focused, be good stewards of the grace that God has given us, and to walk in the Spirit of the Lord, Amen.

Blessings and Maranatha,

Merritt

Kenya Missions Trip

Well, we have had a change of plans concerning our missions trip to Africa. Our group was originally scheduled to go to Nigeria for a two week missions trip but our trip was canceled. At first this was extremely disappointing but we looked at it as an opportunity to continue praying for the Lord's direction. To be honest, I felt a little like the Apostle Paul. Similar to Paul in Acts 16, I wanted to go to Nigeria and reach the people of Africa but the Holy Spirit seemed to be closing the doors. As I stated previously, our group continued to pray and the Lord redirected our plans and focus to the country of Kenya. The Lord has totally blown me away in how He has opened up the doors for us to go and SERVE our brothers and sisters in Kenya. In addition, the Lord has worked out the financials as well. This trip is cheaper than Nigeria and we have been offered free lodging while we stay in Kenya. PRAISE GOD!!! Anyway, please keep us in prayer and pray for the country and people of Kenya.

God's Blessings,
Merritt